RP teener trips ex-world champ, reaches Last 64

A Filipino teener and a charming lady cue artist stole the thunder from the big guns as they posted victories in varying fashions yesterday to barge into the round-of-64 of the World 10-Ball Championships at the Philippine International Convention Center.

National Juniors 9-ball champion Jerico Banares brought down 2003 World Pool champion Thorsten Hohmann, 9-7, while 2005 World Games winner Jasmin Ouschan of Austria humbled Thomas Engert of Germany, 9-4, to book berths in the main draw beginning today.

Banares, who will turn 19 tomorrow, also had to beat countryman Elvis Calasang, 9-3, late Tuesday after he went down to the losers’ bracket following a 4-9 defeat to American Stevie Moore Monday.

Then he shot down the man they call “The Hitman.”

“I’ve beaten him once, maybe that gave me the confidence in this match,” said Banares, who also downed the fancied German, a former world champion in straight pool, in a tournament in Mandaluyong recently, in Filipino.

The 22-year-old Ouschan, a blond beauty, needed to pull off this one after she bowed to Roman Hybler of the Czech Republic, 5-9, late Tuesday, to make the final cut in this event.

“I feel great, I feel really relieved. I hope I could pull it off tomorrow,” Ouschan said.

Banares, a high school graduate from Antipolo City, thus joined compatriots Marlon Manalo, Victor Arpilleda, Demosthenes Pulpul and Leonardo Didal in the next phase where qualifiers are assured of a purse worth $2,000.

“I hope I can sustain my form,” said Banares.

But the other RP bets fell by the wayside with Jeffrey de Luna absorbing a 2-9 beating from Austrian Martin Kempter.

The loss sent De Luna, one of the few Filipinos tipped to finish big in this week-long event, to a do-or-die duel with Swiss Marco Tschudi, who trounced Malaysian Lee Poh Soon, 9-5, at presstime.

Elmer Kalaquian and Edgar Acaba joined 2006 Doha Asian Games gold medalist Antonio Gabica in the list of Filipino casualties as they lost to Chinese Ming Wang, 6-9, and German Christian Weigoni, 6-9, respectively.

German Ralf Souquet, a three-time world champion seeking to become the first official world 10-ball king, went through some anxious moments before subduing Jonni Fulcher, 9-7.

Souquet was then rushed to the nearby San Juan de Dios Hospital after complaining of stomach pain.

Other results in the winners’ bracket saw Chinese Taipei’s Fu Che Wei edge Japan’s Satoshi Kawabata; 9-8; Chinese Taipei’s Ko Pin-Yi trounce Korea’s Jeong Young Hwa, 9-5; Australian Louis Condo beat Indonesian Awi, 9-6; Ortmann thump China’s Liu Haitao, 9-3; Chinese Taipei’s Chu Hung Ming oust RP’s Arnel Bautista, 9-3; and Hungary’s Sandor Tot nip France’s Yannick Beaufils, 9-7.